Daghestan Detains Suspected Turkish Mercenary

December 30, 2005 19:28 GMT

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Daghestan Detains Suspected Turkish Mercenary

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Police also arrested a suicide bomber in the capital (RFE/RL)
30 December 2005 -- The regional Interior Ministry in Russia's southern republic of Daghestan says authorities have detained a man they believe to be a Turkish mercenary.

The suspect, identified as Ali Soyetekinoglu, was picked up yesterday in the Daghestani town of Khasavyurt, near the border with Chechnya. He is accused of having fought against Russian forces in Chechnya.

Also today, Daghestani authorities said they have identified an apparent suicide bomber whose explosives detonated on a street in the regional capital yesterday, in what officials said was probably a botched attempt to attack a mourning ceremony for the slain son of a top police official.

Regional Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Musayev said the would-be attacker, who died in the blast, was Dzhamadullin Ibragimov, a man in his early 20s and a resident of Gimri.